The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-11
a LETTER FROM THE WOODS.
Edward yilo and His Little Woman Oh
Their Travels.

Is THE WOODS or MEXICO, Nov 81
This letter is sent from what one might
call the jumping off place, and will be
sent back by Don Miguel, who has come
on with us To see that we are on the NAM
road for Durango, where we intend to go,
as it is said that that part Of the country
has some very interesting prehistoric
ruins, which we wished 10 sketch. though
we may be some little time reaching there,
as we are told that the tract Of country
lying between here and there is full OF
humming birds OF almost all known and
some probably unknown species. There
are also several kinds of tanagers, which
hope to find in order % complete my co.
lection.
We are going 10 camp and travel slowly
leaving the carriage AT our camping place
and tramping about, but You can be GER
tain that we shall 90 provided hereafter
with cOmpasses.
The little woman was so shaken by our
experience in the forest that il took her
fun three days to recover, which time she
occupied IT, constructing q blO0mer suit.
and the Indian women at the Carroll ranch
made her handsome pair of leggings Of
buckskin This, with "a straw hat tied
ON with red ribbon, made her look very
picturesque If not pretty, but She bravcly
shouldered her bug box, as she calls If,
and her sketching materials and was
ready for the hunting expedition in the
iungles. though the game was TO be bugs,
butterflies and birds She may make a
scientist yet, ! tell her, and she retaliates
by saying that one lunatic in family Is
enough
We slept the first night under the stars
with a bright fire burning, with our rub
Der blankets and air pillows, but must
say that | slept little. as ! feared the
dreaded puma, but morning dawned and
we were safe The driver made up the
fire, and our cook aroused himself enough
to give us good breakfast Of chocolate,
tOrtillas and beans, which, with couple
Of eggs apiece, was as good as we desired.
looked up at the little woman 70 see If
she seemed to have slept badly, and To-
her hair was crimped as perfectly as If
we had been at home and she had put on
clean collar and cuffs. / muttered
something about the ruling passion being
strong in death, but she asked so sweetly
what | said that gave il up, and now
honestly believe that if she were dead and
laid in her coffin she couldn't rest there
unless her crimps were Gin.
That day she put the climax to my adj
miration by capturing and preserving a
green caterpillar as long as her finger l
wouldn't be afraid To trust her IN the
house all alone with a mouse now. y
woman who can fearlessly catch such a
looking thing and get it into a bottle with
a neck not much bigger around than itself
is bound 10 achieve something some day.
| wouldn't De surprised now If she should
slay something worth being called game
or carry her fish bait in her mouth, as few
ladies learn 10 do.
The woods are humming and buZZing
with insect life, and my only fear Is that
shall not have space for all the new ana
rare specimens we find. We do not use
the old style alcohol manner Of preserving
them, but have a bottle Of dry poison, the
fumes of which stupefy and kill them
instantly without wetting them.
We are at she bottom OF rayine, or
rather a valley, with two abrupt sides,
which look as if they had once been one
mountain which had been riyen and
stretched apart. All along the valley Is
rich grass knee deep, in which there are
endless numbers OF insects, and from some
moist ground the cook, whose name Is
Manuel, has found a basket OF crawtish,
and the little woman two horned toads.
The middle Of the ravine has no trees,
which sets me thinking how strange II Is
that often in the densest forest You come
out upon an open glade without 50 msch
as a bush, and wondering how IL happened
that nature has forgot 10 plant trees there
too. Tue little woman suggests that per-
haps there is difference in the soil, so TO-
morrow shall try TO understand it,
Manuel tells US that there is very re-
markable cavern near here, which is full
Of heads and bones and cups and jars.
We had the misfortune 10 break our best
water Jar, and he suggested this cave as
the most natural thing in the world. IL
it had not been for this we should have
gone within q stones throw Of II isnor-
antly. We shall try 10 explore 1t to-
morrow EDWARD WHO.
Eternal Fitness.